Archive for October 11, 2017

Greetings, New Mexico craft beer lovers. Stoutmeister here with The Week Ahead in Beer. This column covers all the breweries in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties, with Santa Fe’s six breweries, one in Los Alamos, and one in Moriarty also joining the party.

Stoutmeister puts on his serious face to handle The Week Ahead in Beer.

Usually, this intro is reserved for one or more big events going on involving our breweries. This week, though, in the wake of GABF and the general craziness of late, we are calling for everyone to take it easy. Oh, sure, you can still attend all the local arts and music events at the breweries, but take some time to kick back and enjoy a pint on the patio of your favorite spot(s). The nights are getting colder, and it won’t be long before even during the daytime that we must take refuge indoors. So whether you’re getting up early to watch the balloons from Steel Bender’s patio (open 8 a.m. weekdays, 7 a.m. Saturday), or you would rather wait until the afternoon to head somewhere, do it while you still can. Turtle Mountain has you covered in Rio Rancho; Kaktus in Bernalillo; Boxing Bear and Marble’s taproom on the West Side; Starr Brothers and Marble’s taproom in the Heights; Canteen, La Cumbre, Nexus, and Red Door in the Brewery District; Bow & Arrow, Dialogue, Marble, Rio Bravo, and Tractor in Wells Park; Ponderosa near Old Town; Sidetrack in downtown; Quarter Celtic and the Santa Fe taproom in the Southeast Heights; Tractor and Canteen’s taprooms in the Foothills; Bosque and Tractor’s taprooms in Nob Hill; and of course the rooftop patios at Kaktus Nob Hill and Duel ABQ. Take your pick, folks. It’s good to have options.

We have added Bombs Away Beer Company to our listings below! In case anyone missed it, they are open for business in the Southeast Heights.

On the new beer front this week, there are a few options to check out. Bosque rolls out the ABQ Double IPA and Rio Soleado, a fresh-hop blonde ale. Bow & Arrow looks ahead with Visionland Amber Ale. Boxing Bear gets on the marzen train with Oktobearfest. Flix Brewhouse is feeling feisty with The Agitator Doppelbock coming out Friday. La Cumbre switches up the single hop with Eldorado SMASH IPA. Marble mixes it up with Gin Barrel Brett, Das Roggen Weiner, and Amarillo Pale Ale. Sidetrack hops aboard old #91 Pale Ale. Steel Bender has a fresh batch of Compa NM Lager. The 377 introduces three newcomers with a Milk Stout, Spiced Wild Red Ale, and Bourbon Barrel-Aged Pumpkin Porter. Tractor has Cowboy Coffee Stout back on nitro at Wells Park.

Beers: Acequia (Wet-Hop) IPA, Dry Acequia, Down in the Hollow, Oktoberfest, Pistol Pete’s 1888, Oh Pale No!, ABQ Double IPA, Rio Soleado (Fresh-Hop Blonde). Get some of that delicious Oktoberfest before it’s gone. The Pistol Pete’s 1888 was brewed for the New Mexico State University athletic program. Down in the Hollow is an English brown ale.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Bosque has a happy hour running from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and all day on Sunday. Look for special menu items and get $1 off your favorite pints.

Beers: Otero ESB, Lone Pine Pilsner, Sancho Saison, Double Black IPA, Sancho de la Sierra, Pepe the Mule, Trailworks IPA. OK, fine, Pepe the Mule counts as a beer, even though it is basically a Moscow Mule, but it was made with beer. The Sancho de la Sierra is a rye version of the saison made in collaboration with Jubilation. The Trailworks was made in collaboration with Bikeworks, a neighboring business, with a portion of the proceeds going to trail maintenance in the metro area.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off pints and 20-ounce pours, Mon-Fri, 3-6 p.m.; “Just Because We Love You Club,” happy hour prices at all times for teachers, first responders, law enforcement, and military with ID; Growler Fill Days on Thu and Sun, $2 off new growlers, $1 off refills

Beers: Dad Joke (California Common), Tipsy Cow (Milk Stout), Warm Scottish Nights, An Irish Tan (English Bitter), Honey Wheat, Chica (Pale Ale), Hop Hill IPA. Hops has started out with these seven beers on tap, but they also have 31 more guest taps, just in case you don’t find one to your liking. The Hop Hill (7.1% ABV, 69 IBU) was the most recent addition.

Beers: (house) Apricot Ale, Blonde, Farm House Ale, IPA, Red, Scotch Ale, Session IPA, Sleeping Dog Stout; (seasonal) Hefeweizen, Farmhouse Apricot, Mars DIPA, Lobo Red Ale. The recent change in ownership at Kellys has led to some seriously improved beers and food, so we decided it was high time to add it to the listings. The Lobo Red was brewed for the University of New Mexico athletic program, if you could not guess. Yes, that is Sleeping Dog Stout, formerly of Chama River, now back in all its dark glory.

Beers: All That I Need Kellerbier, ‘Merica (Pale Ale), Eldorado SMASH IPA, Ales for ALS IPA, Ryeot On. If you can still find a bottle of the Ryeot On, get it fast. The Eldorado SMASH replaces the Simcoe version.

Beers: Peach Berliner Weisse, Mike’s Beer (American Pilsner), Bruce (Black IPA), Loch Lomas Oatmeal Stout, Clark (Hazy IPA), Fresh Hop Clark, Oktoberfest, Mangose. QC gets dark with the return of Bruce, which was brewed in the hazy New England style but still as a black IPA, and Loch Lomas. The Oktoberfest is a delightful way to welcome the start of autumn.

Beers: Imperial Red IPA, Plum Gose, Oktoberfest, White AF IPA (downtown only). The Imperial Red IPA was the first in a series of beers to celebrate Red Door’s recent anniversary. The Plum Gose was second and Oktoberfest was third.

Also, every first Monday of the month at both Tractor locations is Beer for a Better Burque night. For every pint you buy $1 can go to one of four charities that have partnered with Tractor. You can also opt to purchase a special growler with the logo of your favorite charity.

Happy Hour/Discounts: Tractor now has a late happy hour from 9 p.m. to midnight on Mondays with $2.25 classic beers and $3.25 seasonals.

Beers: Bad Amber, WWWMD (Barrel-Aged Whistler), Marcel, Fantin (Double Pale Ale), Duchamp (Sour Wit), Cezanne Magnifique, HMWWA FIACFW, Cezanne Verite. This batch of Cezanne Verite is barrel aged and it is also for sale in bombers. The WWWMD acronym stands for What Would Whistler’s Mother Do. Old favorites Fiction, Titian, and Whistler will return soon, along with the new Lourd of Funk, which will debut at the Beer Premiere at Bow & Arrow on Oct. 28.

Beers: Freestyle Pilsner, Autonomous Collective IPA, Oktoberfest, Hefe’d Up, Cucumber Saison (ECS), Secret Society of A.L.T. (ECS), Wet Hop Pale Ale (ECS). Rejoice, for Oktoberfest is back. And yes, Freestyle is still around for a limited time as well, but rumors persist it may never leave the lineup.

Happy Hour/Discounts: $1 off growler refills in the tasting room on Mondays. $2 pint Tuesdays at the Eldorado Taphouse. On Wednesday, there is a $2 pint special in the tasting room. On Thursday, there will be $1 off growler refills at the Eldorado Taphouse.

Beers: Kolsch, IPA, Cream Stout, Coffee Porter, Diablo Canyon Pale Ale, XX ESB, 2920 IPA, LVL Stout, Oktoberfest, Summer Rain Sour, Latona Amber. The most recent addition is the Latona Amber. This batch of Oktoberfest is excellent, classic stuff. Hurry up and drink up some of these beers so they can make room for another batch of the GABF bronze medal-winning Rod’s Steam Bitter.

Beers: Oktoberfest, Cherry Sour, Interstella Vanilla, Cherry Wheat, Single Hop IPA. The Whiskey Stout will return in a week-and-a-half. The Cherry Sour is back for another run. Oktoberfest is now available on tap. Cherry Wheat is available in bottles and just won a gold medal at GABF.

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That’s all for this week! If you have any questions or comments, leave them below or contact us on our Facebook page.